Ribs

[meow]

hi thanks for your replies. what i find confusing is that my scoliosis is not visible upon standing up - my back looks dead straight but my rib still sticks out. When I bend i do not have a rib hump atall (but I can feel a slight hump upon lying down!) like people with scoliosis do. The only reason the chiropractor decided to do an X-ray was because when I was lying down on the table she thought she could see slight scoliosis and the x-ray showed this but its only very slight. i know that the scoliosis causes a rotation on the spine which rotates the ribcage but when i touch both sides the left side seems to be a different shape, and I cant help thinking something has slipped out of place and has kinda remained there for years - I dont know though!

[Superstottie]

My ribs look the same as yours meow, and I too get pain at the bottom of my ribs. I used to suffer a lot when driving long distances, but due to fatigue I don't do this anymore, but thought it was just the way I was sitting in the car whilst driving as I sit quite upright when driving.

[Sandy L]

Sounds like your chiropractor is describing rotatory scoliosis, where the vertebrae line up well vertically, but have a corkscrew back and forth. I think that could cause the rib distortion, but ask your chiropractor.

[Silvertoes]

Has anyone had cortisone injection into their ribs?
Mine on the right side of the back sublux all the time causing the most awful pain, and my osteopath didn't know if an injection might help as he's at a bit of a loss on how to treat my ribs as I'm in a spiral of pain caused by the moving ribs! The only way to lessen the pain is to get them put back into place but how often can this be continually done before this is a permanent problem!

[shen]

Meow: My ribs are like yours. I have a slight scoliosis too but not enough to cause such an effect, neither do i have a hump when i bend over. When i lay flat they stick up at the front considerably on the affected side. Prof. G is sending me for some x-rays, i had some trauma to my ribs when i was younger and my physio thinks i might have broken them and thy have healed badly, otherwise i may have dislocated them and they've gotten 'stuck'. However when i got my report from Prof G the other day he noted in it that it could be a 'marfanoid feature' although i was only borderline positive on the other tests. I'm not sure what's going on with my ribs either. It's all very confusing and rather painful at times.

[shen]

So i got my x-ray an the results... nothing... according to my GP they are fine. Please to be explaining then why they are such a shape and always painful? It's not like i'm making it up, you can see the weird shape, and you can feel them sticking out but apparently its all fine. Even Prof G was a bit confused and concerned about the shape of them. My GP is saying basically nothing more to do about it. I'm so tired of fighting with doctors to be taken seriously, i know something is weird about them, but x-rays tell all apparently. *sigh*

[chelseagirl]

Hey Shen,

Sorry to hear you have not had any luck in finding out what the problem is with your ribs. I dont suffer with any rib problems but i know that X-rays are not good at showing up everything and surely your doctor should know this too i know this is going slightly off topic but my right sternoclavicular joint feels different to the other side and sticks out of my chest so is clearly noticeable and yet my x ray came back normal but when i went to orthopaedics he said that rheumatology wasted time sending me for an x ray as nothing would show up and that i needed a ct scan so maybe this would be better for you.

Hope you get to the bottom of it but i know how hard it is getting doctors to send you for scans etc

Good Luck

[sheppeyescapee]

Several things have happened since I put my shoulders out recently, my neck and shoulder muscles have tightened and my neck feels like someone is pulling back on it. I've had a return of my rib pain and it feels like a splintering kind of pain, I suspect it is probably the intercostal muscles playing up but it really hurts when I try to breathe. It was distracting me the whole time I was at the bendy meet today

[Pootje]

My ribs are the last time also a big problem.
they dislocated a lot of times and it hurt really much!
My Physio puts them back but when I sleep a night a bit wild then they are dislocated again
Do somebody have tips? to hold my ribs a bit more longer in place?
Or how to put them back myself?

[Llaurin]

I have a weird lump at the bottom of my ribs on my left side; I've never dislocated a rib so thankfully I've never experienced the pain from that; but when i push on the lump there is a sort of burning ache. I've had it for years, never thought much of it, but now I'm wondering if it is related to my HMS? It's not very noticeable when I'm sitting normally but if I lean back, or suck in my tummy, it is clearly visible. It seems like the ribs on that side come to a sharp sticking-out point at the bottom rather than a smooth round curve like on the other side. I'm wondering if it is worth bringing up with the doctor - I have literally had it all my adult life with no pain or discomfort.

[Tilly22]

Hi everyone
It's interesting reading through everyones posts and a huge relief to discover that I'm not alone or going mad making up all these illnesses I seem to have, it's good to know they all are actually a result of HMS too!

The main problems in my ribs have recently started in work, I'll be sat at my desk and then at around lunch time the pain will start. It starts as a really dull ache at the back of my shoulder blades and then works its way into my rib cage. The bottom of my ribs feel so sore, like they are rubbing against something or as if they are being crushed. It's quite hard to describe pain exactly but I will say that it is a very uncomfortable sensation, not only will the ribs start to hurt but it then feels like it spreads right the way up through my shoulders and collar bone !
Not nice when I'm trying to concentrate on my work, it makes me feel really aggitated and fidgity but no matter how I try and compose my posture, it doesn't feel better and will remain there all afternoon. I just try to forget about it but it can be a nightmare at times as I'm already suffering with my back in work.

Can anybody else relate to this type of pain or at least understand? I'm at my wits end trying to explain it to others as they don't have a clue!
Just to sum it up it generally feels as though the bottom of my shoulder blades and also my rib cage (mainly in the back which radiates to the front) feel soooo sore and achy, it feels as though I can't support myself! It's just a relief to know it's down to the HMS.

T x

[Superstottie]

Tilly - you are not alone! I get this type of pain in my ribs that ends up radiating, mainly when I am sat in the car for long periods. I can relate to how uncomfortable it can be. Sorry but I don't have any answers for how to help it, but I can sympathise!

[Chloe♥]

I get this too.
I find I get it fairly evenly in the back and front though, which makes me feel sick too and it gets difficult to drink.
I also tend to end up trying to crawl out of my skin at work. And I find I get through the morning ok as well, it's around lunchtime where it gets difficult.
I haven't figured out what to do about it yet though.

However, are you sure you're sitting correctly at work? Are your feet flat against the floor (or a footrest)? Are your arm rests at the right height? Are you looking straight at your computer screen (making an assumption there)? Do you have to reach to get at your papers/keyboard/mouse?
Access to Work or occupational health should be able to assess your working posture and suggest ways to improve it. There are other topics around here about that too.

I think there's a thread called "RIBS" in Related Conditions as well, that's probably worth a read.

[debbiedo61]

hi,guys,just a quick question regarding pain when sneezing etc.

Whenever i sneez or cough it causes a entensly sharp pain in the central chest area,it has benn going on for aprox 8 months now,whenever i have mentioned it to a g.p etc,i have had no response,almost as if they hadnt heard me,has anyone else had a problem with this very painfull symptom?

[shirleytx7]

I don't know what caused it but I have terrible pain in my ribs on the left side near the base of my ribcage. I have had rib pain before in the front but never in the side. There has been no noticeable trauma that I am aware of but I am in so much pain feels like I have been kicked in the side. Oh my god I hope that this is not a regular addition to the general aches and pains. Does anyone have any tips for alleviating pain in this location.